The Dark Lioness

Chapter 14

AN: I actually did some drawings for Hermione Narcissa Draco and Bella's outfits in this chapter. If you guys are intrested I'll see about adding in the pics or something. Oh and if anyone wanted to I would LOVE to see people's own drawings of them. Anyway enjoy :)

Hermione stared in the mirror as she looked over the dress she had somehow agreed to wear. It was an emerald green silk form-fitting dress that flattered her curves. The dress had a slit up one side which ended just around mid-thigh. There was a silver opaque material that she guessed she was to use as some kind of jacket. She wasn't sure but she guessed she'd be told by Narcissa. The bicep on her right arm held a gold band wrapped around it which matched her gold vine-wrapped heels. The waist of the dress had a gold belt wrapped around which had gold chains draping her sides.

Her hair had been done in stunning goddess braids that she simply adored. She smiled softly as she remembered the others watching her do them the day before. Magic did help but it just wasn't the same as doing it by hand.

-the previous day-

"Hermione, what are you doing to your hair?" Bellatrix asked as she and the others walked into the seating area. Hermione smiled as she looked over her shoulder at the others. "I'm braiding my hair. It's a wonder I haven't had finger cramps yet," She laughed as she finished one of many sections of her hair. "How do you do it? I mean I know how to braid hair but yours is a different hair type and thats a different kind of braid." Hermione merely thought for a moment before she transfigured some thread in front of her into a texture mirroring her hair type. "Here I'll show you." Hermione smiled as she demonstrated how to make the braid to Bella and much to Hermione's surprise both Draco and Narcissa. Luna already knew how to braid Hermione's hair and was currently helping do the rest of the unbraided sections she was yet to do.

After a while, both Draco and Bella were slowly but surely braiding the thread into braids similar to the ones Hermione and Luna were doing. Hermione felt a burst of love spread through her as she watched as the duo twisted and weaved the small strands to form the braid. Their faces matched in spitting images of concentration and Draco had never looked more like a Black at that moment. She was endeared to the small tongue that would slip out and he would squint his eyes as he focused on the thread in front of him.

"So Hermione what do you use to take care of your hair? I know from Anathema, Lady Zabini that hair like yours is very different to care for than mine or even the bird's nest that is Bellas." Bella merely threw her the middle finger in retaliation barely pausing in her work. Hermione merely sighed as she thought of her hair. "Well, it's a bit different for everyone. I've never really had anyone help me look after it. I was raised by two white middle-class muggles in a white neighbourhood. I was one of maybe three others that were a person of colour. I only realised I wanted, well needed to look after it differently than I was doing when Angelina Johnson gave me a set of conditioner and shampoo for my birthday in my second year. I hadn't used it since I got it. But last year I spent quite a lot of time with her so she more or less took me under her wing to teach me what I know."

"You use that silk head thing when you sleep," Bellatrix merely mumbled.

"Oh yeah, I use a bonnet at night. It helps protect my hair from losing moisture. So whilst you guys have to wash your hair often because it is 'greasy' I have to wash it to gain moisture. The natural oils we make to protect our hair can easily cover all of your hair strands because your hair is straight or in Luna and Bella's case wavy. Because my hair is curly and well you know what it looks like the oils cant cover it properly so my hair gets dry. So I use shampoo oils and moisturisers to help give it that moisture." Narcissa seemed rather interested as she just nodded and continued asking questions with the others joining in.